


Under a spell

by karovie



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: De-Aged Merlin, Hurt Merlin, Loss of Control, Magic Revealed, Protective Arthur, Protective Gwaine, chaotic magic, curse, sick Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 19:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3740002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karovie/pseuds/karovie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After revealing his magic, Merlin pushes Arthur away just in time to save him from a magic attack, but ends up being hit himself. Merlin ends up cursed and de-aged, with no control over his magic. As time goes by, his magic grows more and more dangerous, and the boy gets sicker. Will they find a cure before the sickness kills him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under a spell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BadPennyGirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadPennyGirl/gifts).



> first of all: this is inspired by the amazing illustration, and prompt right here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/2318903  
> second: This is largely unbetaed at this time. My wonderful friend Castielsbee betaread the first part, but I have written a lot since then, and I wanted to get this up here as soon as possible so I could focus on my other fics again :)  
> as always; comments and kudos will be greatly appreciated!  
> I hope you like it :)

He watched as the horde of mercenaries flew apart at the glow of his eyes and a slightly outstretched hand.

 

They’d been attacked by bandits while they were out hunting, and on top of that, the Mercenaries had burst out of the surrounding forest, aiming to kill them while they were distracted by the bandits. Merlin had seen, and on instinct, he’d sent them flying. He cringed as he heard gasps behind him, and heard the last of the bandits fall, before he turned around.

 

“You have magic?!” Arthur burst out in disbelief. Merlin was standing a few feet away, squaring his shoulders, straightening his back to look more confident. Arthur and his knights was gaping at the young man, except for Lancelot, who already knew. And Gwaine, who had the biggest grin and a satisfied expression plastered on his face.

 

“I was born with it,” he replies, stubbornly. Arthur had been a royal ass lately, taking all his frustrations out on Merlin, and so the warlock had no plans on being respectful now. “I don’t have magic. I am magic,” he added bluntly. Betrayal and anger shone from Arthur at Merlin’s response and tone. He charged at him, punching him in the face. Merlin twisted around, almost falling over at the force of Arthur’s hit. He groaned and held a hand to his nose, but didn’t turn back to look at Arthur. The prince felt a pang of regret at punching him, but he pushed it down.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, barely controlling his anger. “All these years, and you never once thought to tell me?!” he shouted. Merlin blinked and turned his body slightly further away.

 

“I wanted to. So many times. But I could never make myself,” he replied quietly. He was bleeding from his nose.

 

“You don’t trust me,” Arthur stated.

 

“I do! I just did not want to burden you with the knowledge,” his eyes were sad but confident as he looked Arthur in the eye. His left eye was squinting slightly.

 

“So you consider lying about who you are, a lesser burden? For all I know, all of you is just one giant lie!” Arthur exploded and stalked off in the direction of Camelot, an immense rage radiating off of him. Hesitantly, the knights started following him along with Merlin. Merlin, however, distanced himself from the others. Walking sort of in the middle of Arthur and them, but more off to the side.

 

Their horses had been scared off under their attack, and so they made their way through the forest on foot, Arthur in the front, never even turning to check on his knights.

 

“Why are you following?! Do you want to be burned on the pyre so bad?!” Arthur spat without as much as turning his head. He didn’t really mean it though.

 

Merlin faltered only slightly in his step. “If that is what you wish, My Lord,” he replied after a moment of silence, defeat evident in his tone.

 

Arthur’s heart clenched painfully at that, but it only made him all the more angry. He spun around to retaliate, when he saw Merlin freeze in his tracks, an expression of terror crossing his features before snapping his eyes to Arthur. He registered there was a bruise forming across Merlin’s nose and left eye. The next thing Arthur knew was the feeling of being pushed as he heard a shouted “NO!” coming from Merlin, and then his eyes snapped shut to shield themselves from the intense red light that seemed to appear from nowhere.

 

The moment he realized the light was gone from beyond his eyelids, he opened them to find Percival unsheathing his sword and running into the dense vegetation off to their right, a shout of frustration coming from the other side.

 

He joined his knights in the charge, and just on the other side they found a redheaded man dressed in all black, tight fitting clothes, except for the hooded cloak covering his shoulders, which was grass green. He was in a battle stance, ready to launch more spells. He opened his mouth, but before he got any sound out, a bolt shot through his throat. He gurgled, blood sputtering from his mouth as he sunk to the ground. Arthur turned to find Elyan pointing a crossbow at the sorcerer on the ground. Percival made sure the man was dead, and nodded up to Arthur.

 

“Merlin…”  Gwaine muttered as he and Lancelot exchanged looks, before they jogged back through the bushes. Leon and Percival soon followed, leaving Elyan and Arthur behind.

 

Arthur’s heart was racing as he jogged back to his knights, watching them search for their friend. Lancelot called their attention as he bent down and picked a boot up from the grass. It was clearly Merlin’s. Their expressions turned solemn as they kept up the search, and found the other boot a little further away.

 

Gwaine registered a lump of cloth in the tall grass, and jogged up to it, immediately recognizing Merlin’s clothes.”Here!” he called as he fell to his knees by the twisted clothing. He knew the moment he saw them that it was impossible for Merlin’s tall form to be hidden inside, no matter how twisted his body would have been.

 

“Damn it all!” he screamed out. He hit the ground beside the cloth hard with a fisted hand. He hung his head as the others closed in.

 

Arthur fell to his knees on the opposite side of the lump from Gwaine.

 

“No…” he breathed, disbelieving. He reached a trembling hand out to touch the thin leather jacket. He clenched it in his fist, his heart beating so fast he thought it would wear itself out and stop at any minute. Sure, he was mad at his friend for not telling him, feeling betrayed. But he never wanted this. He never wanted Merlin dead. He never wanted him gone.

 

He stared at the jacket, his sight blurring slightly. He hurriedly blinked his tears away as he realized there was a mop of black hair underneath the jacket. He almost let go of it, feeling like he was going to puke at the thought of there only being Merlin’s head left underneath the fabric.

 

He pulled the leather back, and blinked in shocked surprise as he saw a little boy’s face. A little boy with Merlin’s features. A child version of Merlin, with Merlin’s blue tunic barely wrapped around his small form.

 

“Merlin!” He choked. Suddenly the knights were all very close, and a shocked silence descended on them.

 

Merlin looked to be the size of a 4 year old. Small and thin, with a shocking mop of black hair on his head. He lay curled up on his side, facing Arthur, giving him a perfect view of the bruise still spreading and darkening on his face. One of his eyes was starting to swell as well. The guilt surged back tenfold, made much worse by the fact Merlin was now a child. He knew he hadn’t punched a kid, but it felt that way.

 

The poor boy was unconscious, and when Arthur turned him onto his back, he found Merlin had acquired scrapes and more bruises on his body, and had likely hit his head too. Arthur looked back and saw marks in the grass indicating he had slid or rolled on the grass after landing. Most likely rolled, judging by the tangle of his clothes around him.

 

Arthur tightened the laces in the neck of Merlin’s tunic, to try prevent it from falling off of the boy. He found the neckerchief in the tangle of clothes, rolled it, and tied it as a belt around the boy’s middle to keep the tunic in place a bit better. He picked up the leather jacket and put it temporarily on the boy as well.

 

He patted the boy’s cheek, trying to wake him. When that didn’t work, he tried trickling some water in his face. A moment passed before the little boy stirred. He scrunched his eyes, moving his head back and forth very slowly, a frown on his face. Then, he opened one eye very carefully.

 

At first there was no reaction, no recognition. Then as if he suddenly remembered what happened, his eye widened comically and he drew in a sharp breath. The other eye, however, didn’t open much due to the swelling.

 

“Arthur…?” a thin, light, very childlike voice uttered. Merlin’s face went blank.

 

Arthur was almost shocked into laughter at the unfamiliar voice, but he managed to swallow it. Gwaine on the other hand was not that discreet. In fact, he was the quite opposite. He didn’t even try to hold back the roaring laughter that bubbled out of him.

 

“Sorry, Mate!” he blurted after finishing the worst of the laughter. “Here we thought you were dead, and then we find you’ve been turned into a child! Of all the possible enchantments out there! I’m almost glad you sacrificed yourself, because princess here would be outright insufferable!” he burst out, and chuckled.

 

Merlin did not find this amusing. He just lay there, staring in shock up in the air, his mouth slightly open. Then, he lifted his hand and looked at the small fingers. He slowly lifted his head. He winced, but kept going until he was sitting, and then after staring at his feet for a little while, he stood carefully. He wobbled a bit on his feet, but did not fall. He looked dumbfoundedly down on himself.

 

Merlin looked absolutely ridiculous. The tunic was like a dress to him, so long, it hid his feet, and it almost fell off his tiny shoulders. And was that his neckerchief tied around him? His jacket slid completely off and pooled around his feet. He frowned, confused and frustrated, and looked accusingly at Arthur.

 

That was it. The knights could not hold it in any longer. They all burst out in booming laughter. some more discreet than others, but they all laughed.

 

“This is not funny!” Merlin shouted. It only made them laugh harder.

 

Furious, or as furious as a four year old boy could look, Merlin stalked off. He kept stumbling and tripping in his tunic, but he didn’t stop.

 

“Where do you think you’re off to?” Arthur called, the amusement still evident in his voice.

 

“Away from you lot! None of you will get me back to normal, so I’ll have to do it myself!” he turned slightly to yell back at them. Gwaine doubled over, screaming in laughter, tears streaming down his face. Merlin was his normal self, trapped in his four year old self’s body!

 

Merlin’s good eye narrowed at Gwaine, and then it flashed golden, a slight  evil-toddler-smirk tugging at his lips.

 

It soon turned back into a confused frown as he watched Gwaine gag. The knights looked alarmed at Gwaine’s sudden gagging, and when he finally opened his mouth to let it out, it was not sick that flew past his lips.

 

It was butterflies. Blue butterflies. Fluttering out from Gwaine’s gaping mouth. Three butterflies. They all, including Gwaine, stared wide eyed as the butterflies fluttered by them, landing on a bush behind them.

 

“BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Gwaine howled in laughter and collapsed on the ground, clutching his sides. He had absolute no control over his laughing fit. Arthur and the others once again joined him, throwing their heads back, laughing loudly.

 

Merlin seethed. He was supposed to seal Gwaine’s mouth, not making butterflies appear! “It’s not bloody funny!” He shouted and stalked off again. This time, no one stopped him. They were all too busy laughing their arses off.

  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  


“Why is nothing working?!” Merlin yelled as his eyes burned gold, once again trying to bring himself back to his true form. This time, roses sprouted from the ground, climbing up the trunk of a tree. He was covered in butterflies, a white dove nested in his hair. There were flowers everywhere, leaves and petals having come to life, flying all around him. Bunnies hopping around in the tall grass.

 

This was how Arthur found him. He stared wide eyed around the small clearing, a very cautious expression on his face, before his eyes finally landed on the little boy.

 

Merlin met his gaze, a pout on his face and eyes shining with helplessness.

 

Arthur felt it deep in his chest and couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the poor boy. He’d soon realized he didn’t really mind that Merlin was magical. He was still hurt and frustrated that he hadn’t told him sooner. But Merlin pushing him out of the way, risking himself, yet again showed how loyal he truly was, and Arthur really couldn’t question that.

 

Merlin’s eyes pooled over, and big fat tears rolled down his face, his breath hitching. Suddenly he sat on the forest floor, his knees pulled up, head resting on them and arms wrapped around them. He tried to be silent, but Arthur clearly saw the shudders wracking his body with every sob. The movements disturbed the butterflies and they fluttered away from the boy.

 

“Merlin,” He said softly, stepping closer to his servant.

 

Merlin looked up at him, devastated. His eyes were so big! It was like a bolt to the heart, seeing that expression on the boy’s face, the wet cheeks and the overflowing eyes. It didn’t help that Arthur knew he was the reason for the bruise and swelling on that broken face too.

 

“How am I supposed to protect you now?!”

 

Arthur’s steps faltered. “Hah?” he blurted out, flabbergasted.

A cloud materialized over Merlin’s head and rain started falling on the small boy, as his eyes flashed gold again.

 

“I have no control over it anymore!” and more sobs wracked his body.

 

The cloud dispersed and the dove took off into the sky. Arthur came close and knelt in front of the boy.

 

“Merlin, what do mean protect me?”

 

Merlin met his gaze again, a serious look in his tear filled eyes.

 

“You’ve been using your magic to protect me? How long?” Arthur asked in disbelief.

 

“Since the day we first met,” Merlin looked away. “And now I don’t even have control of my own body anymore!”  

 

“You’ve been protecting me since your first day in Camelot?”

 

“Yes!” the little boy let his head fall down to his knees again, and sighed.

 

“That… That probably explains a lot…” Arthur murmured, almost too silently for Merlin to make it out. He sat there for a while, thinking. Then he reached out and mussed Merlin’s hair. “Come on, we should head back to camelot. See if Gaius knows what to do,” he smiled softly at the boy and stood, waiting for him to follow. Merlin just sighed again, but climbed to his feet to follow Arthur back to the others.

  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


Gwaine was on the ground, groaning, while the others sat close by, their faces still painted in amusement as Arthur and a grumpy Merlin made their way back towards them.

 

“It’s official. I’ve been murdered by a sorcerer,” Gwaine mumbled as they got closer. “Death by laughter,” he added, and the others chuckled.

 

“It’s not funny!” Merlin snapped, and a branch fell just beside Gwaine’s head. Merlin’s eyes widened in fear at that and sunk to his knees. “I’m sorry… I don’t have any control over it anymore,” he whispered.

 

Gwaine stared wide eyed at the branch and gulped. It wasn’t very big, or particularly dangerous, but in the splinters of shattered wood, he suddenly saw how dangerous this could get. Merlin with no control over his powers? Anything could happen.

 

The knights shared worried glances with their King, and got to their feet, ready to be of service.

 

“Let us head back to Camelot and see if Gaius has any cures for this curse,” He said, and walked on ahead. Merlin hesitated a moment, before slowly rising to his feet to follow behind his master.

  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


Arthur was impressed at Merlin’s endurance. They had been walking for a few hours and he had not faltered much at all. Sure, he had the short feet of a child, and so it was harder for him to keep up, but he hadn’t asked for a break even once. As Arthur thought about it, he hadn’t really said anything for a while, which was slightly worrying. This was Merlin after all.

 

“Arthur! I found your horse!” Leon shouted from a little further ahead. The King had sent him to scout ahead of them and report back if there was anything out of the ordinary. He watched with a smile on his face as the Knight led his beautiful mare back towards him. She still had the packs on her, which meant there would be water and a little bit of food. Merlin’s horse usually carried most of the food, but he always made sure to keep some in his own packs as well.

 

There was a thump, and a shout of “Merlin!” coming from behind him, and he spun around to see Gwaine kneeling by the small lump on the ground. He jogged the small distance and fell down on his knees beside the child as Gwaine turned him over on his side.

 

The boy was panting slightly and there was sweat on his brow. He opened bleary eyes, and looked sluggishly between his friends, before his eyes rolled back and his lids shut again.

 

“Merlin!” Arthur reached out to feel the boy’s forehead, and cursed as he felt the heat burning on his brow. Leon came up behind them with Llamrei and hurriedly pulled out a blanket from the packs. He tore a strip from it before handing Arthur the blanket. The King wrapped Merlin’s small form in it and lifted him up to bring him with him over to a tree where he sat down with the boy in his lap. Leon soaked the strip of cloth in water and handed it to him. The knights poised themselves all around to stand watch as Arthur took care of his servant.

 

Drops of water rolled down the small cheek as Arthur wiped the wet cloth across the warm face of the little boy. He watched the little child in his arms, worry churning in his gut. Was this sudden sickness from the long exhausting walk, or was it part of the curse? After a moment, his friend opened his eyes a crack, looking up at his King.

 

“Can we take a break now?” he asked weakly. At Arthur’s nod and a silent “Yes, Merlin,” the boy smiled faintly and reached up to clutch at the King’s cloak before falling asleep once more. Arthur adjusted his grip on the boy, pulling up his legs to steady him, and reached up with his free hand to stroke the slightly plump cheek.

 

After a while of rest, the horse suddenly nuzzled into Arthur’s face, craving attention. He smiled up at the kind dark brown eyes. Her black muzzle stroke against his cheek, and he reached up to scratch her bay hairs, admiring her long, slightly wavy, black mane. She really was a thing of beauty. Her eyes drooped slightly at Arthur’s scratching, and she stood still for a moment, enjoying the petting. Suddenly she reached her head over to Merlin, brushing against the little boy’s cheek and hair. Her lips catched a few locks of the boy’s hair, tugging the tiniest bit, before she backed off and shook her head, tossing her mane around a bit, and snorted.

 

“You want us to get back to Camleot, yeah?” the mare nodded her head and scraped one of her front hooves on the ground, as if she agreed. Though, she was likely just wanting more attention. Arthur snorted. “I bet you just want to get back to your food,” he commented, amused. He thought for a moment however, and got to a conclusion.

 

“Gwaine,” the knight turned to him immediately. “Could you hold on to Merlin for a moment?” The knight was beside him instantly, taking the boy carefully into his arms. Arthur checked his horse properly, making sure everything was in proper shape, before mounting her. He then reached for Merlin. Gwaine hesitated a moment, before handing him over.

 

Arthur turned to speak to all of the knights. “I will be riding ahead with Merlin, and sending someone back with some horses for you, the priority right now is getting him back to Gaius as fast as possible,” He watched as the others nodded in return. A firm hand curled around his wrist, and he turned to look back down at Gwaine. He was sporting a serious gaze.

 

“Keep him safe,” he growled. Arthur only gave a court nod before spurring his horse onward.

  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


People ran out of the way as their King rushed through the streets on his trusted horse. He would have jumped off the horse before she’d even managed to stop properly, had it not been for the child in his arms. They came to a somewhat harsh stop at the stairs up into the castle, guards and servants alike rushed to their King’s side.

 

“Hold him for me,” he ordered a guard as he handed the child over just long enough to get off his horse. “Someone ride out with horses for my knights!” he shouted as he carefully brought the child back into his arms. He yelled directions as he made his way to the physician’s chambers.

 

Merlin had gotten worse on the ride back to Camelot. He was sweating profusely, and his skin felt like it would combust at any moment.

 

The king slammed open the door to the physician's rooms, but the old man was not there. He yelled for someone, be it guard or servant, he didn’t really care. He gently placed Merlin in the bed that was standing in front of the fireplace, grabbing a rag from a cupboard and soaked it in water from a pitcher on the table. He sat down on the bed beside the child and bent over him to wipe the sweat away from his face with the wet rag. He yelled again for anyone to come, and finally there was shuffling in the hallway.

 

“Arthur?” Gwen asked in alarm as she ran through the door. She looked from the concerned face of her King, down to the little child in the bed. The poor thing looked bad. The bruise on the child’s face was a stark contrast to the sickly pale skin, wet with sweat. There was something vaguely familiar with the the little face, and the thick black hair, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen him.

 

“Get Gaius!” Arthur ordered, as the woman just stood there, staring. She jumped slightly and was about to run out the door, when the old man himself entered.

 

“What on earth is going on in here?” he demanded sternly. One look at the child on the bed however, stopped him in his tracks. His face paled and he literally looked like he’d seen a ghost as he just stood there, staring.

 

“Gaius?” Gwen touched the man’s shoulder gently, to get his attention. He startled, looking at her, and then back to the kid.

 

“Merlin,” The old man breathed and walked towards them. “Sire, what happened?” He only just flicked his eyes to his King, before once again focusing on the little child. Reaching out, he stroked his fingers through black hair.

 

“He was hit by some kind of de-aging spell. He was alright at first, but on our way back to Camelot, he suddenly fell ill,” Arthur watched as the professional mask slowly fell into place on the old man’s face. He ordered for Gwen to bring fresh water, and started untucking the boy from the blanket.

 

after a few moments of assessment, Gaius could conclude that the little boy had fallen ill from exhaustion and heat, most likely enhanced by the toll the curse had done to his body.

 

Using smelling salt, Gaius got the boy to wake up. He was greatly confused as he looked around the room. He willingly drank the water Gaius offered, but he remained confused for a few more moments, until suddenly his face lit up in realization. He stared up in Gaius’ face, and he looked so vulnerable and frightened, the old man’s heart clenched at the sight. It had been many years since he’d seen this little face, and he thought he’d never see it again. He really wished he would never have had to see that fear in those young eyes. He could manage seeing it in the boys face, when he was his proper age, although that too was hard on him, but this? This was near impossible to handle.

 

“Gaius?” The old man was brought out of his thoughts, and blinked back tears as Merlin put his tiny hand on top of his. “Are you alright?” Those big eyes, had exchanged the fear with concern in an instant.

 

Gaius couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips. “Yes, my boy. I am fine. I was only startled by your appearance.” He sighed. “What happened?”

 

The boy’s face fell as he thought about it. “We were ambushed by mercenaries, so we lost our horses. And when we headed for Camelot on foot, I sensed Magic and got Arthur out of the way, but I was hit in his stead, and now everything is chaos,” as if to prove this, his magic flared up again. His eyes flashed golden and they all turned wide eyes to the fire unicorn that suddenly lit up the room. It just stood there, calmly watching them. Gwen was pressed up against the wall in her shock, while the other three just sat on the bed. Arthur gaped at the animal, Gaius stared slightly, before he sighed and turned to his King. Merlin groaned and put his head in his hands.

 

“I take it they know about your magic, then,” Gaius said as he observed the King. There was no reaction other than slight surprise and awe in his face, and that calmed the old man down a bit.

“Now, my boy, let me have a good look at you,” Gaius reached out and cupped the boy’s cheeks, lifting his head to look into his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

 

Merlin thought about that for a while. He was feeling a bit strange. Not because he was suddenly a child. He just felt like there was something bad happening to his body, but he couldn’t really put his finger on what.

 

“I’m fine,” It wasn’t really a lie. He just didn’t know what was wrong. For good measure, he put on a wide smile. He could see how well it worked when both Arthur and Gaius’ eyes softened.

 

“Uhm… Can someone please tell me what is going on?” Gwen sounded terribly scared, and hadn’t moved a muscle since the fire unicorn came out of nowhere. She carefully moved her wide eyes from the creature and over to the guys on the cot.

 

“Oh, sorry Gwen, I’ll try make it go away,” Merlin said with a sheepish grin, and turned to the flaming creature. His eyes flashed golden and… nothing happened. The creature snorted and stepped lazily over to the boy and flopped it’s head down on Merlin’s head. He froze in anticipation of the burn to come, but was amazed to realize it didn’t hurt at all. He reached up to touch the unicorn, and found it didn’t burn him at all.

 

It happened so suddenly, no one realized what exactly had happened before the dust settled down. The Unicorn was gone, and the whole room was covered in some kind of sparkling dust.

 

“What… What just happened?” They all turned in unison to look at a very sparkling Gwaine standing in the doorway as if he’d just opened it. behind him, Leon and Percival stood, spitting the dust out from their mouths.

 

“I… Think the Unicorn exploded…?” Merlin said, mesmerized at how the sparkling dust seemed to have gone everywhere. Even into places one normally didn’t think about.

 

“I’m not cleaning this,” Gwen stated, spitting out the sparkling dust. She looked around the room once more, looked defeated, and walked out the door.

 

“I think you broke Gwen,” Arthur put in. He had a huge problem trying to keep his amusement at bay, and when Merlin turned to look at him, they both burst out laughing at the whole ridiculous situation. Gaius just sighed, rose from his position on the bed and left his chambers as well.

 

“I should probably try cleaning this up,” Merlin chuckled. Arthur reached out to touch his shoulder, stopping him.

 

“I don’t think so. Get some rest, and I’ll send other servants to do it,” He smiled, but it soon vanished to be replaced by his usual regal prat-face, as Merlin liked to call it. “You know, you being useless and all, even with magic,” He added. The humor was still in his voice and his eyes glinted with the laughter they’d shared.

 

The King rose from the bed, and ushered his knights with him out the door, leaving Merlin alone to rest.

  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


The sparkling dust was impossible to clean up completely. It had been days since the exploding fire unicorn, and they still found it everywhere. Even places seemingly impossible for it to go. However, that was not their biggest problem. As the time went by, Merlin’s magic got more and more out of control. Not only was it impossible to control, it also grew steadily more dangerous.

 

Gaius was doing everything in his power to help the boy, and was researching to find a cure. So far he had no luck in finding a cure for the curse, and Merlin was begging to be locked up in the cells, or get far away from Camelot so he didn’t hurt anyone. Arthur on the other hand, refused to lock his best friend in the cells for something he had no control over. He also didn’t want to remove him from Gaius, as the old man likely was the only one able to find a cure.

 

Gaius was the only person knowing how Merlin was getting sicker and sicker every day. The boy had begged him not to tell the others, because he didn’t want them to worry more than they already did.

 

On the third day since they came back to Camelot, Merlin’s body was hurting all over. He was sweating and running a high fever as well. He took care of himself, not wanting to disturb Gaius in his search for a cure.

 

It was before dawn on the fourth day when the little boy opened the door into the main space of Gaius’ quarters from his room and looked around for the old man. When he couldn’t see Gaius anywhere, he pulled his blanket properly around himself and snuck to the main entrance to the quarters. He carefully opened the door and and found no one outside. The boy looked back for a moment, and then he left, closing the door silently behind him. from there on it was easy for him to leave the city. He kept to the shadows, avoiding the tired guards, and soon he was in the forest outside the city. He breathed in relief, and thought himself lucky that his magic had kept quiet for long enough that he could sneak out unnoticed.

 

As if it could hear him, his magic flared up. It sent branches and even whole trees crashing to the ground around him, stones and other loose material started floating, some flying dangerously fast through the air. Small glowing animals popped out of nowhere, roots started moving about like snakes, and storm clouds gathered in the sky.

 

It all tired him out, but he had to keep moving. He couldn’t let anyone get hurt because his magic was completely out of control!

 

The little boy stumbled onwards through the woods, his magic flaring up now and again, leaving a fairly obvious trail. His whole body trembled with each step he took, each little movement was agony, but he could not stop.

 

He walked along a steep slope, careful not to walk too close to the edge. There were roots and stones everywhere that he needed to look out for, but his vision was getting steadily blurrier as he went on. He ended up tripping on a root, and then he stepped on a loose stone and managed to twist his ankle as he fell. The poor boy rolled down the slope, losing his blanket on his way down. He hit his head and only stopped rolling when he crashed into some bushes at the bottom. He lay there, trying to stop the world from spinning, before he attempted to get back on his feet. However, that was not such a good idea as he found himself on all four, throwing up from the all the pain and exhaustion. He sunk back down after emptying his stomach, scootching a little away from the sick. He lay there for a few moments before the darkness enveloped him.

  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


“Merlin! I believe I have discovered what curse you’re under,” Gaius uttered triumphantly as he opened the door to his ward’s room. His heart filled with dread as he realized the room was empty. Merlin had left. He hurried as fast as his old body would bear him towards the King’s chambers, knowing the King was still in there. He knocked respectfully on the door and waited rather impatiently outside the door.

 

“Enter” Gaius all but burst into the chambers, almost before Arthur had the chance to finish. Arthur wiped his hands on a napkin, ignored the rest of his breakfast and turned to the physician. Upon seeing the old man’s frantic eyes, Arthur stood, his hands grabbing the closest thing passing for a weapon, which happened to be a knife from the silverware.

 

“Gaius, what’s wrong?” He asked, his body ready to defend his old friend.

 

“Sire, it’s Merlin. He’s gone! He must have left before dawn while I was in the library,” The physician looked ready to blame himself for not being there. “This is not good, if it indeed is the curse I believe it to be, he’s in severe danger!”

 

“He’s gone? Danger? Did you find a cure?” Arthur looked worried and was ready to run out that door to find his friend.

 

“Sire, this curse is deadly, and he’s been getting sicker every day since he was cursed. He hasn’t much time left!”

 

“Did you find a cure?!” Arthur repeated.

 

“This is strong magic, sire. You must find the Great dragon. Only he can cure Merlin,” Gaius looked Arthur in the eyes.

 

“But, the Great dragon is dead. I killed him!” Arthur looked devastated at the thought that Merlin’s last hope was dead.

 

“I’m afraid you’re mistaken, my lord… The Great Dragon lives. Merlin…” Gaius looked like he was unsure of continuing. He decided he had to tell the King for Merlin’s own good. “Merlin is the last dragonlord, your Majesty. He commanded the dragon to leave Camelot alone. When you find Merlin, you must bring him to the closest clearing, and have him try call the dragon. However he might not be able to in the state he’s in. In that case I have a way of calling it, but it’s not as powerful as Merlin’s call…” The old man trailed off. “I will gather what you need for the call immediately and have it sent to you,” Gaius added and left the King to absorb this new information.

 

Arthur stared at the spot Gaius had been standing. He had trouble taking in the new information. He shook his head, deciding to let it just be for the moment. He could always yell at Merlin for it when the idiot got back to Camelot.

 

Arthur called for the guards, telling them to gather his knights and ready their horses. He threw a few things into his saddlebags, and left to find his horse.

 

Just as he had fastened the saddlebags properly, Gwen approached him with a worried expression on her face. She held out a small bag to him.

 

“From Gaius. He wrote the instructions on a note inside. Please be safe, and find Merlin,” She said, and touched his shoulder before stepping away. Arthur nodded at her, mounted his horse and signaled for his knights to follow.

  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


Arthur stared in disbelief at the destruction in the forest outside of Camelot. It was quite clear which way Merlin had taken.

 

“Did Merlin do this?” Gwaine asked in awe.

 

“Unless there’s another sorcerer rampaging Camelot, I believe he did,” Arthur replied in his prattish tone. Gwaine threw him a glare. The King ignored it and gestured for his knights to follow, and steered his horse on to the cleared path through the forest, following the destruction.

 

They moved slowly, keeping an eye out for any other evidence of Merlin other than the obvious magical destruction. After a while, there was less broken and burnt trees, and soon there was nothing.

 

Merlin had been walking a pretty straight line all the way, and so they decided to keep walking in the same direction they had been since they left Camelot. It didn’t take them long to arrive at a small path by a steep slope.

 

“The path is too narrow for the horses, dismount, and watch your step,” Arthur commanded. He and the others got off their horses and tied them to trees nearby. The King took up the lead, and carefully followed the path, watching the ground for any signs of Merlin.

 

Arthur stopped and bent down to examine a patch of dirt that looked like it had been kicked up recently.

 

“Sire, did you find anything?” Leon asked from behind him. He had made sure he was in between his King and Sir Gwaine so that the two didn’t start fighting as they easily did, especially when Merlin was not around to prevent it.

 

Arthur didn’t answer. He suddenly realized that Merlin could have fallen down the slope, and he whipped around to look down the hill. His eyes widened as he saw the blanket laying halfway down the slope, and without thinking, he made his way down.

 

“Sire!” Leon shouted, startled at Arthur’s sudden desire to go down the hill.

 

They all stiffened at the sight of the blanket, before starting to make their way down as well.

 

“No wait! I can’t have you all coming down here. It’s not safe. Go back up, and throw down some rope,” Arthur ordered.

 

“We don’t have any rope, sire!” Leon called.

 

“Someone go back to my horse, I have some in the saddlebag,” Arthur was impatient to go further down to look for his friend, but he needed the rope to make sure he could get the boy back up if he found him.

 

While he waited for Elyan to get back with the rope, he looked down to the bottom of the slope. There was bushes and other thick vegetation covering most of the ground. He scanned the vegetation thoroughly, and suddenly something caught his eye. There was something that looked like a pile of sick on the ground by one of the bushes.

 

“Sire! Catch!” Arthur whipped around to see one end of the rope being thrown at him. He caught it and tied it securely around his waist, and began the last of his descent.

His heart hammered in his chest as he reached the spot where he’d seen the sick. He’d been right, and judging by the look of it, it couldn’t be too old. When he finally was at the bottom, he crouched down and pushed away the bush.

 

“Merlin,” He breathed as he caught sight of the unconscious boy beneath the branches and leaves. He was covered in sweat and grime, and was pale as a sheet. He was breathing erratically, and he had a wound on the side of his head.

 

Arthur carefully sneaked his arms around the boy’s body, pulling him out from under the bush. He pulled him close to his body and carefully got back on his feet. He crabbed onto the rope with one hand, while holding Merlin with the other, and started making his way back up the slope. His knights helped him by pulling the rope, making it easier for him to walk back up the steep hill.

 

“Is he hurt?” Gwaine called out before Arthur reached the top.

 

“He’s hit his head, and he’s running a high fever,” Arthur replied as he reached the top. “We need to get him to the nearest clearing,” He added and let Leon untie the rope from around his waist. None of them asked any questions and they soon made their way back to the horses.

 

Arthur let Gwaine hold Merlin until he had mounted his horse. He took him back into his arms, and barely waited for the others to get on their horses before he spurred his horse onwards.

 

It didn’t take the men long to arrive at a big clearing in the trees. Arthur handed Merlin to Gwaine, while he jumped off his horse and brought out the bag Gaius had sent to him. He stepped out into the clearing and had Gwaine follow him.

 

“Put him down here,” Arthur said, pulled out his water skin and knelt by the boy after Gwaine put him down.

 

“Merlin,” Arthur patted Merlin’s cheek. “Merlin, wake up,” He patted it again, but the boy didn’t wake. He poured some water into his hand and let it trickle to the boy’s face. This time there was finally a reaction from him.

 

Bleary eyes opened as the boy moaned. When his eyes focused on the King, they widened in fear.

 

“NO! Arthur get away from me, I’m dangerous!” The boy tried to scramble away, but Gwaine held him still as he was sitting behind him.

 

“Merlin, you’ll just end up dying at this rate! We need to get you healed, now! I talked to Gaius. The only way is to summon the Great Dragon and have him cure you,” Arthur held Melin’s gaze. “Merlin, call the dragon,” He added sternly.

 

Merlin just stared at Arthur. He realized there was no use trying to deny it anymore. Arthur knew. He knew of both his secrets. He sighed and readied himself to use his powers.

 

“O DRAKON, E MAL-” Merlin started growling loudly, but was cut off by a gruesome coughing fit. Just as he started coughing, the ground started shaking with great force, and the trees tore their roots free and made their way slowly towards the knights. Blood dripped from Merlin’s mouth and nose, and the coughing would not stop. Gwaine held him close in an attempt at keeping him safe.

 

“It’s as Gaius feared, you’re not able to call the dragon,” Arthur hurriedly pulled out Gaius’ note from the little bag, and read through it. Upon finishing, he pulled out a bundle of herbs, tied together with a fancy looking thread. There were also flints to set fire to the bundle.

 

Arthur glanced back to see his knights fight the trees as their roots tried to coil around them. He grabbed the flints and held them over the bundle of herbs.

 

Before Arthur could do anything, a small shaking hand grabbed his. He looked down and found Merlin’s pleading pale face, covered in blood.

 

“Arthur, don’t. It’s too dangerous, let me do it,” Merlin barely managed to say the last word before the coughing took over his body once again. His eyesight was swimming and he wasn’t sure how long he could stay conscious. His whole body was ready to shut down, and he could feel his magic panicking.

 

“Damn it, Merlin! Just stop! Let me help you for once! I get that you have some kind of hero complex but you’re barely even alive right now, and if summoning a Dragon is the only way to help you, then I will summon it!” Arthur pulled his hand from Merlin’s weak grip and moved away from him. He worked the flints and mad the herbs catch fire. He stood up and held the herbs out in front of him.

 

“Oh Great Dragon, Kilgharrah, I, King Arthur Pendragon, summon thee!” Arthur called out. He then tossed the bundle of herbs as far out in front of him as he could. He watched it fall to the grass, where it lay burning for a few moments before the fire went out. He waited, watching the spot.

 

“Sire! We can’t keep these trees away for much longer!” Leon called. The ground gave another shake, the wind picked up, and storm clouds suddenly gathered in the sky. Rain fell like a waterfall, lighting lit up as far as the eye could see, and thunder clapped loudly in their ears.

 

Arthur roared as he drew his sword and ran to fight along side his knights. Gwaine called after him, but turned his attention back to Merlin as he felt his friend tense up in his arms. The boy was gasping for breath and tears of blood were streaming from his eyes to be washed away by the heavy rain.

 

“ARTHUR!” Gwaine screamed, as he tried to shield his friend from the rain. “Merlin, mate! Please hang in there!” He begged as he stroke the boy’s face.

 

A great bone chilling roar erupted through the air, stilling every magically moving tree and every magically falling drop of rain. Soon after the ground shook as something heavy landed in the clearing.

 

“Young Warlock, what is the meaning of this?!” The great voice sounded furious. All the knights froze in their spots, watching the Great Dragon step closer to them. Arthur stared in awe at the huge animal. He hadn’t known it could speak! He sheathed his sword and made his way over to Gwaine and Merlin, and closer to the Dragon.

 

“Great Dragon! We’re in need of your assistance!” Arthur called to the dragon in a commanding tone. “My friend has been cursed, and I was told you were the only one who could cure him,” He added. The dragon just stood there with it’s head held high, watching the King down it’s nose.

 

“Young Warlock! Show yourself. I can sense your presence,” The dragon let it’s gaze glide around the clearing, but he could not see the familiar shape of the young man anywhere.

 

Gwaine, who had been shielding the little boy from the great beast, moved enough to let it see.

 

“He’s here,” Gwaine spoke up, barely keeping his voice from cracking. Merlin was having serious trouble breathing in his arms.

 

Arthur’s gaze focused on the boy at the same time the dragon did. His heart clenched at seeing his friend in such terrible pain.

 

“Please help him,” Arthur begged.

 

The dragon was silent for a moment.

 

“Bring him forth,” The dragon lowered himself  closer to the ground, as Gwaine lifted Merlin up and brought him closer. “Undress him or he will be in great pain,” He hesitated just a moment before gently placing Merlin on the ground before the Great Dragon. He undressed the little boy, laying the clothes on top of him afterwards and stepped back.

 

“Kil…” Merlin whispered, lifting a hand just barely above the ground towards Kilgharrah.

 

“Now, young Warlock. You must focus your magic on yourself, and I will do the rest,” The dragon told him calmly.

 

A moment later, Kilgharrah breathed hot air on the boy beneath him. They all waited in silence for something to happen. Arthur however, did not have patience to wait around, and stepped forward.

 

“Why is nothing happening?” He demanded from the great beast.

 

“Patience young King, he is fighting the curse,”

 

“I thought you were going to cure him?!” Arthur growled and stepped even closer.

 

“I can help him on to the correct path, but I cannot cure him. Only he can do such a thing,” The dragon regarded him with what looked to be amusement. Arthur seethed in anger at the beast. He wanted to slay it for not doing more to help his friend.

 

A scream caught Arthur’s attention and he ran to Merlin’s side at once. The boy was screaming in agony with his eyes screwed shut, and his body writhing in pain. Arthur was about to scream at the dragon for tricking them, when he realized Merlin was growing. Gwaine, followed by the others, gathered around them. They watched in awe as Merlin slowly grew back to his normal self, but they all cringed at the terrible screams coming from the young man.

 

When Merlin finally reached his normal size, he stopped screaming, and fell unconscious. The drops of water that had been frozen in the air, all fell down at once. The trees burrowed their roots back into the ground, and the skies cleared.

 

“He is cured of the curse, but he will be needing rest and time to heal from his physical injuries,” Kilgharrah rose to his feet, and stretched out his great wings. “Take good care of him, Once and Future King,” The dragon added and took to his wings.

 

Arthur felt like crying from relief of getting his friend back to normal. He unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around the other man, and ordered the others to make a stretcher for them to carry Merlin in. The horses had run off when chaos erupted, but luckily they were not far from Camelot.

  
  
  
  


**~~~~oOMERLINOo~~~~**

  
  
  


Merlin was out cold for an entire day after returning to normal. When he finally woke up the first time, he was only awake long enough to drink water and a potion for the pain in his head and ankle, before he passed out once again. It went on like that for a couple of days.

 

Three days from returning to normal, Merlin blinked his eyes open and groaned at the light in the room. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light, and he found he was in his own room. He felt terribly thirsty and as he turned to his side, he saw Arthur asleep in a chair beside the bed. On a Table beside Arthur stood a pitcher of water. Merlin tried to sit up to reach it, but he found he was unable to do much in his weakened state.

 

He decided he didn’t want to wake Arthur, because it looked like he had not slept well lately. So he tried his magic. Which turned out to not be such a good idea. His magic was shaky and ended up floating the pitcher over to the King, instead of towards Merlin.  He concentrated hard to bring it towards himself. Suddenly he saw a set of blue eyes open, and it caught him off guard.

 

“Merlin! Yo-” Merlin’s eyes widened as the pitcher tilted and fell, soaking his King. The pitcher ended up falling to the ground just beside Arthur. “MERLIN!” Arthur roared, standing up.

 

Merlin swallowed and stared wide eyed up at his dripping wet master. Gaius chose that moment to burst into the room, looking as if he expected a war. He took one look at his King, and then Merlin, and sighed.

 

“Merlin, did you try to use your magic?” Gaius asked, although he already knew the answer.

 

“I was thirsty,” Merlin whispered, unable to talk any louder.

 

“Your magic will likely be a bit shaky for a while,” The old man said and walked back out to fetch some water for the boy. He came back with a new pitcher and a cup. He filled the cup with water and handed it to the boy, and watched as he drank it greedily. “I will bring you some soup,” He said lovingly and but the pitcher on the table before he left.

 

Arthur sighed and sat down in the chair he had been sleeping in.

 

“I’m glad you’re finally properly awake,” He said and smiled slightly. “You know, so you can do that giant list of chores that has been piling up,” He added, and his smile turned to a grin.

 

Merlin huffed a laugh and grinned back. They sat in silence like that for a few moments.

 

“Thanks. You know, for helping me,” Merlin looked up at his friend. Arthur just nodded curtly.

 

“Well I have matters to attend to. Rest up, and I’ll see you back at work when you’re healed,” Arthur stood up and turned to go, but hesitated. He turned back and leaned over Merlin, put his hands on either side of his face and kissed his forehead. “Please don’t scare me like that again,” He whispered, and then he was out the door before Merlin could respond.

 

Merlin smiled. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Arthur knew his secrets after all.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! if you didn't look at the illustration before you started reading, please go look at it now! it is truly a work of art! http://archiveofourown.org/works/2318903


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